Remember Me
by thepointarchitect
Summary: *Ariadne is sick, Arthur is being protective, and Eames brings the chocolate cake* When Ariadne ends up in the hospital after the Fischer job she doesn't know who else to call but Arthur. Their relationship takes a turn for the worst when she loses her memory and Cobol is out to recruit Ariadne to work for them.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my second fic I've written and decided to upload. I decided to go with the Ariadne/Arthur pairing this time also. Please let me know what you think! Reviews are always welcome :)**

**I also like to think that I'm getting better at the chapter thing :)**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not even Inception on DVD :(_

Ariadne woke with a startled gasp. She blinked her eyes open and looked at her surroundings.

She was back on the airplane, headed to Los Angeles. The job was a success, the idea was planted, and she was out of limbo.

Ariadne looked around the first class cabin at her coworkers. They did it.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Arthur holding out a champagne glass to her. He held one of his own and tipped it to hers as she took it. "Cheers," he whispered.

The team had previously agreed that they would not contact each other for at least three months after the job. The inception was a high stakes risk and Arthur and Cobb still had Cobol out for them. Ariadne didn't know what she was going to do without them. She was introduced to a world that she would've never imagined existed. She had seen these people every day for weeks and weeks and now, it would all just be dust in the wind. She wondered if she meant anything to them like they meant to her. She would probably miss Eames and Arthur most. Especially after the kiss she had shared with Arthur in the dream. _That kiss._ She could still remember the sweet taste and the tingly feeling he had left on her lips afterwards.

Ariadne began to feel dizzy as she stood at baggage claim waiting for her suitcase to come around. At first she just thought the dizziness was from her remembering the kiss but she hoped the nausea that she felt afterward wasn't also because of the kiss. Her suitcase came into view and Ariadne stepped forward to claim it but her whole body suddenly felt weak. Her legs wobbled and a sweat broke out on her neck. _What's going on?_ Ariadne wasn't one to get airsickness. She didn't think that's what it was.

Ariadne reached out a weak arm and hoisted her bag up off of the belt. She didn't bother to look for Arthur or Eames to say one last good bye; she just had to get out of there at the moment. Arthur and Eames exchanged worry glances with each other as she staggered out of the airport.

Her eyes struggled to adjust to the bright sunlight outside as she stepped out of the airport. She shielded her eyes with one hand and pulled her suitcase clumsily behind her with the other, stopping every two seconds it seemed to apologize to someone for bumping into them. _Just get somewhere where you can breathe_. Ariadne broke free from the crowd and sat down on an empty park bench, clutching her head. Her vision started going blurry as she stared at the sidewalk trying to regain her strength. It wasn't working. The yellow flash of a taxi cab whizzed by the bench and Ariadne's feeble attempt of flagging it down failed.

Collecting herself the best she could, she headed back down the street closer to the airport in hopes of being able to get a taxi easier there. She saw one parked and just headed for it, not caring if it was occupied already.

"Nearest hospital, please," groaned Ariadne as she collapsed in the back seat, her mind going blank.

Ariadne blinked her eyes open hazily. It took a while but eventually they adjusted to the bright fluorescent lights of her hospital room. A nurse was quietly tending to the IV's by her bedside. Ariadne opened her mouth to speak but her voice just came out as a raspy whisper.

"Excuse me," she cleared her throat. "What hospital am I at?"

"The Good Samaritan Hospital." the nurse replied with a smile. "You were brought here by your cabbie. He said you just collapsed when he picked you up from the airport. We're still not exactly sure what happened but it appears to be some kind of poisoning. You were also highly dehydrated but we're glad you're awake though. We will need an emergency contact."

Ariadne tried to wrap her head around the situation. Who was she going to give as an emergency contact? Her closest relative was states away and her parents were long gone…

Ariadne coughed and said quietly, "I-I don't have one."

"Surely there's someone."

Before she knew it Ariadne had said, "Yes sorry, my friend Arthur."

"I'll be back around to get his contact information." the nurse answered and left the room.

Ariadne didn't know what else she was going to give the nurse other than his number. She didn't even know his last name.

When the nurse returned Ariadne gave her what she could, despite the questioning look she got from her and then tried to go back to sleep, still feeling nauseous.

Ariadne turned to face the window, trying to block out the loud bustling of doctors running down the hallway. It reminded her all too much of what had happened to her parents years ago.

Suddenly, a familiar voice broke through all the commotion and Ariadne strained her ears to hear better through the closed door.

"Yes, I'm Arthur. I received a call from here. Where is she? Can I see her?" the point man's smooth voice made her insides flip but in the good way, not in the way they had been these past few hours. There was something odd about his voice this time. It wasn't the usual steady even tone that he always spoke with. There was something else there and Ariadne couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it sounded a lot like worry.

The exchange between the nurse and Arthur got quieter and Ariadne could no longer eavesdrop. She pretended she was sleeping as she heard her door creak open followed by quiet footsteps.

Ariadne could smell the fresh smell of aftershave wafting off of Arthur as he pulled a chair over to sit in front of her. A small part of her wanted so badly to open her eyes and to thank him for being there but a little part of her told the other part to shut up and see what he'd do.

Ariadne was pleasantly surprised as he took one of her hands and held it tenderly in his hand. He brushed her cheek lightly with his other and once again her skin was left tingly from his touch.

"Oh, Ariadne," she heard him murmur. She hoped for more but he remained silent.

She started to shift as she was actually waking up and Arthur withdrew the hand from her face, but he moved it to join his other in holding both of hers. She opened her eyes to his deep brown ones, the ones that made her melt into a gooey puddle. A look of relief washed over his features and then he broke out into his signature smirk.

"You're alright." Arthur said relieved.

"I am. Well I hope so." Ariadne replied quietly. "I know Cobb said we shouldn't try and contact each other but—"

"Ariadne, it's fine. I'm glad you called."

Ariadne didn't have time to analyze his statement at the moment because she felt something sickening begin to creep its way up her throat. She pulled away sharply and flipped over to the other side of her bed where the trash can was. She threw up whatever she had left in her stomach, which wasn't much. She was glad that she got most of her retching out before Arthur came.

She heard Arthur stand up behind her and he gently gathered her hair away from her face. He rubbed her back soothingly which made her all the more embarrassed to have him see her like this.

"What happened?" asked Arthur as Ariadne settled back down.

"I don't know. When I got off the plane I started feeling really sick. I thought it was just airsickness and that it would pass quickly but I passed out as soon as I got in my cab," Ariadne paused, "Do you think its dream related?"

"It might be. We gotta get you out of here before they start running the wrong kind of tests."

"What do you mean?"

"Ariadne, remember what we do?"

Ariadne nodded feeling silly and Arthur helped her sit upright.

"Do you think you'll be okay? I have a car waiting downstairs."

"Yes. Where are my clothes?" she looked down at her gown and then around the room for her clothes but they were nowhere to be seen.

Arthur chuckled at Ariadne's worried expression and then took off his suit jacket draping it around her shoulders. He took her by her hands and pulled her to her feet.

"Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

The escape from the hospital was harrowing but they finally made it down to Arthur's car after a long series of running down staircases and sneaking past hospital workers. If Ariadne wasn't still ill she would've been able to keep up but they stopped multiple times for her to catch her breath. Arthur held her hand the whole way making her feel giddy. At one point they narrowly avoided a doctor quickly ducking around a corner with Arthur leaning close to Ariadne pressed against the wall to hide her. She stifled a giggle into his shoulder and she looked up to see him going red, trying to hold in his laughter. It was a very different side of Arthur that she'd never seen before but that she'd hope to see more of in the future.

Ariadne leaned against the window once inside Arthur's car, appreciating the cool glass.

"How are you feeling?" asked Arthur.

"I'm alright." Ariadne answered trying to catch her breath. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to focus on getting rid of the increasingly tightening pain in her chest that was making it harder to breathe.

"Ariadne?" Arthur's worried voice drifted through the air and he reached one of his hands out to take hers. "Ariadne, focus on my voice. Don't worry, we'll call Yusuf and ask him what it could be."

Ariadne gave a weak nod and opened her eyes to focus on the road ahead, squeezing Arthur's hand tightly.

They arrived at Arthur's five star hotel with Ariadne thinking _of course he wouldn't settle for anything less than the best_. They took the elevator up to his room on the fifth floor. She couldn't help when her mouth dropped open when he opened the door into what was the most luxurious hotel suite she'd ever seen.

"Pretty nice, huh?" laughed Arthur as he showed her where the bedroom was. It was a single king sized bed, dawned with at least ten fluffed pillows and a royal red duvet to match the canopy above. Ariadne bit her lip nervously as she realized that she would be sleeping with Arthur that night. _Don't be silly, he'll probably take the couch or something. _That was somewhat of a relief; she didn't want to be hurling chunks all over him in his sleep.

Arthur wandered out of the room to call Yusuf and Ariadne walked towards the bathroom. The bathroom was equally as impressive as the rest of the room, complete with a heated toilet seat, a shower with jets, and a Jacuzzi bath. There was a panel on the wall which Ariadne fiddled with and it filled the air with romantic French music. She embarrassedly shut it off, not wanting Arthur to get the wrong idea too soon.

"I'm going to take a shower!" Ariadne called out to Arthur who was still on the phone with Yusuf. He ducked his head into the room quickly and gave her a thumb up as he passed by.

Ariadne changed the station to something other than the French music and stepped into the lovely shower with its massaging jets. She let the cold water cool her rising body temperature. She wasn't covered in a sticky sweat anymore and she felt more relaxed than she had in the past few hours. Once she turned off the jets after what seemed like an hour long shower she fumbled along blindly from the inside of the shower for a towel rack. She wrapped a puffy white towel around her body and stepped out of the shower looking for the hospital gown, the only article of clothing she had with her. It was nowhere to be seen.

"Arthur?" Ariadne cracked the door open and poked her head out. There was an exchange going on between two people in the other room. Their voices were muffled which made it harder to tell who it was. She retreated back into the bathroom when their footsteps started getting louder.

She stood in front of the mirror looking at her pale appearance and dripping wet hair. As she began drying herself off the door opened and a familiar man walked in not seeming to mind his surroundings. Ariadne spun around quickly covering her body up with the towel and shouting, "Eames!"

He reached blindly out with one hand and covered his face with the other. Ariadne realized he was holding her bag. "Sorry, sorry! Arthur just said you were in the bathroom and the door was open!" the Brit apologized sincerely.

Ariadne was so grateful to see him. If Arthur hadn't have called him she had no clue when she would've seen him next. Looks like they were all pretty much breaking that "no contact for three months" rule that Cobb set up.

Before Eames knew it he found Ariadne's body folding around him in a tight hug. He figured it was okay to open his eyes at that point. He chuckled and hugged Ariadne's frail towel covered body.

"Oh it's getting a bit steamy in here isn't it? But we can't do this with Arthur in the next room." joked Eames and Ariadne pulled away from their hug punching him in the arm. She turned him around and pushed a laughing Eames out the door.

"I need to get changed."

Ariadne picked the lightest clothes she packed to wear, a long white flowy shirt that went nearly halfway down her thighs and black leggings. She could already feel her body heating up again. Her chest was beginning to tighten but she decided that she would just go out to the balcony afterwards and get some fresh air. The bathroom was still humid from her shower after all.

She pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail and walked on out to the balcony where Arthur and Eames were talking. She unsteadily wobbled over to a chair and both Arthur and Eames were at her side instantly.

"Ariadne, you're burning up." Arthur said as he felt her warm skin underneath his hands as they rested on her arms. They eased her down into a chair and Ariadne blinked dazedly up at them. Arthur squatted down to her eye level and brought the back of his hand to her forehead.

"What's wrong with me, Arthur?" asked Ariadne worriedly. Her voice was barely above a whisper and her body shook underneath his arms, despite her rising temperature.

"Let's get her inside," Eames said moving for the door. Arthur scooped Ariadne up in his arms swiftly and followed after Eames. He lay her down on the bed and began explaining what Yusuf had told him over the phone.

"Yusuf believes you had a reaction to one of the compounds. He's not sure which or why it didn't affect you during our tests but he's going to be running background checks on your history of medication and allergies."

"I'm not allergic to anything." Ariadne muttered as she shivered and Arthur pulled the duvet over her, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Ah, as far as we know. It could also just be a beginner dreamer thing. I remember feeling out of it when I first went under. Not as bad as you though, fortunately." Eames spoke up.

"Maybe in combination with the depth and the sedatives it caused a bad reaction."

Ariadne nodded knowingly and shut her eyes.

"Ariadne?" asked Arthur nervously.

"I'm still here. It just hurts to look at light. I feel like I have a concussion," Ariadne murmured, "What are you doing here, Eames?"

"Arthur explained the situation and called me up asking if I could "stop by" the Good Samaritan Hospital and round up your things. How could I refuse?" Eames said with a charming smile then added, "Oh, it might be a good time to mention that I also managed to snab these while I was at it." He held up a hospital folder complete with Ariadne's test results, charts, and files.

Arthur let out a hearty chuckle and said, "And in record time too, Eames. Who knew I could count on you?"

Eames feigned mock hurt and pouted at Arthur who rolled his eyes in return.

"Who else can you trust these days?" Eames questioned with a wicked grin and walked out of the room.

Arthur gazed at Ariadne resting before him. He hated to see her like this. People always say that people look peaceful when they sleep but not Ariadne. Ariadne's normally pretty, serene face was twisted into an uncomfortable, contorted shape. Arthur felt her cheeks, hot to the touch. Her hair had begun to stick to the sides of her face from the sweat and he walked to the bathroom to get a cool washcloth.

When he returned she had curled over on her side, perhaps in pain. Arthur sat slowly on the edge of the bed and patted Ariadne's warm face with the cloth. Her eyes fluttered open to look at him and she managed a small smile. Her eyes looked worn out and tired. Aside from the sickness he wondered if she was having nightmares. That was a common side effect of dreaming for the first time, and considering the depth she went.

"Are you having any nightmares?" Arthur asked.

"Well, to have nightmares you have to sleep. And I have been trying to dearly for the past hour. My body can't seem to decide if it's hot or cold." Ariadne tossed back the duvet and lay there in her own sweat.

"Yusuf is doing his research and he'll get back to us as soon as possible. Eames did have a point though. It could just be your body's reaction to dreaming so intensely for the first time and combined with all the sedatives and chemicals you went through." said Arthur in the matter-of-fact tone he so often used.

"Where is Eames anyway?"

"Out to get some food. He complained that I made him miss his dinner by making him go to the hospital for you."

"Oh, god. What time is it anyway?"

"Quarter to ten."

"I've completely lost track of time this whole evening…" Ariadne moaned and started to sit up.

"I think you have an excuse for that." Arthur said with a smile.

Ariadne returned the smile and reached for his hands, throwing caution to the wind for just a second. She rubbed her thumbs in circles on his knuckles. She couldn't see his reaction since she avoided looking at his face.

"Thank you, Arthur." Ariadne said at last and pecked him on the cheek before getting up and heading to the bathroom.

Arthur couldn't help the butterflies he felt inside of him as he felt his face turn red. He felt like a silly ten year old boy with a crush on someone way out of his league. His normally stony façade was faltered for a second by the one and only Ariadne.


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur was sitting in the living room on one of the plush white couches when Eames returned with dessert for the three of them. The cheery forger set down a decadent chocolate cake topped with drippy chocolate and caramel syrup and bright red cherries on the coffee table in front of Arthur. Eames called out to Ariadne to join them.

"What's this?" she asked upon entering the room.

"Dessert, my dear. It's the best chocolate cake around. I figured we ought to do some celebrating now that we're together." Eames replied happily passing around forks.

"Celebrating what?" Arthur retorted.

"Celebrating a job well done, celebrating that Cobb is back with his kids, that we did it! And we ought to treat ourselves now that we don't have to wait three months to see each other again. And maybe it's all for the better." Eames waggled his eyebrows and gave Arthur a wink.

Ariadne was elated. Eames wasn't going to forget about her and neither was Arthur. Both of them had obviously had plans to meet up again in the future. This wasn't going to be the last that she'd see them and that made her bubble over with joy and completely forget about her overwhelming sickness at the time. She picked up her fork and was the first to take a stab at the cake. She hadn't realized how hungry she was. After all, she did throw up everything she had eaten that day. Eames laughed as he watched the hungry architect.

Ariadne sat on the floor between the couch and the coffee table with her knees pulled up to her chest licking her fork delightedly.

"So, where are you staying tonight, Eames?" Arthur asked, shooting Eames a knowing look.

Eames picked up on it quickly but Ariadne took no notice.

"What? I thought I was welcome here?" Eames said, earning him a glare from the point man. This caused Ariadne to look up.

"Of course you are! After all you did bring me my things and this delicious chocolate cake." Ariadne piped in.

"Oh, but isn't this room a bit small to fit three people? Especially when that third person is you," said Arthur through gritted teeth.

Eames continued to taunt Arthur with his teasing grin.

"There seems to be plenty of room here. Why waste money on another suite? That's a pretty big bed in the other room; why don't we all share?"

Ariadne felt herself blush and Arthur was grateful that Ariadne had her back to him so she wouldn't have seen his own cheeks blush bright red.

"Oh, look at the two of you! I'm only kidding. I like my own space anyway." Eames said shoving a huge forkful of chocolate cake into his mouth.

As the trio continued to feast on the cake and chat away, Eames decided to order some champagne. As he stepped out of the room Arthur leaned close to Ariadne still sitting on the floor. She was resting her head sleepily on her knees and Arthur gently tucked his arms underneath hers and hoisted her up onto the couch next to him.

"Didn't look that comfortable down there," Arthur said gazing into Ariadne's eyes.

"It wasn't." Ariadne's train of thought seemed to falter as she looked back at Arthur's dark brown orbs. She felt like she was in a trance. Like she could almost _see_ into his soul; the sensitive part of him that people rarely ever got to see. Neither of them said anything as they just stared at each other. Ariadne shifted her eyes down to look at his mouth. _Those lips_. Her mind wandered back to the job they had just completed and of the kiss that was just "worth a shot". She couldn't help but wonder what he meant by that and if there were any more "shots" he was willing to take. Arthur felt himself leaning closer and Ariadne followed his lead. The room seemed to spin and Ariadne could feel Arthur's breath on her lips but he quickly jerked away when Eames bounded back into the room.

"I'm sorry. Am I interrupting something?" he asked playfully.

Arthur cleared his throat and Ariadne became aware of the lack of space between the two of them. She shifted herself nonchalantly away from him and looked embarrassedly at the floor.

"No." Arthur said glaring up at him.

"I'll be in the room down the hall so you two play nice. Send me the bill for the champagne. Don't worry loves, it's on me." Eames replied with a wink. He slung his jacket over his shoulder and walked out.

"Finally." Arthur muttered and stood up to lock the door.

Ariadne stretched out along the plushy couch and gave Arthur a silly smile. Arthur could not help but reciprocate an equally silly smile. He lifted her legs so he could sit down and then rested them back down on his lap.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. I think all I needed was some good ole' chocolate cake," Ariadne laughed not minding the contact between the two at all. "And obviously some good laughs courtesy of Eames."

Arthur smirked.

"I know he picks on you a lot. But he means well." Ariadne said reassuringly.

Arthur looked down at her and smiled. He rubbed his eyes feeling tired himself. There was a knock on the door and they both looked towards it grudgingly.

"You get it; I'm sick." Ariadne poked him in the side with her foot and she lifted her legs so he could get up. Arthur smirked and reluctantly got up.

He returned moments later with a chilled bucket of ice and a glistening bottle of Chardonnay. He carried two wine glasses in his other hand. Ariadne sat up, pleased.

"For you," Arthur said handing her one of the wine glasses. Her fingers brushed his just for a moment and Ariadne felt those little sensations again.

They returned to their position on the couch only Ariadne sat up a bit straighter to drink from her glass. They dove into one of those headlong conversations, talking about anything and everything that came to mind. The champagne loosened Arthur up in an unusual but good way. He enjoyed talking to Ariadne. Even through their multiple glasses that started to make him feel hazy Ariadne's voice was still crystal clear to him. It sounded almost like a song, the way her words seemed to flow with no effort. She seemed to always know exactly what she wanted to say.

As the night progressed, their words got more slurred and the bottle seemed to empty. When Ariadne clumsily reached across Arthur to refill her glass she knocked the bottle down realizing it was empty.

"That's not good," Arthur said seriously as a giggling Ariadne lay across his lap. He leaned over her slightly to set his glass on the coffee table and then shifted her so she was more comfortably situated in his arms.

"Arthur?"

"Yes, Ariadne?"

"You should drink more often. It makes you _funner_."

Arthur's face grew real serious and Ariadne couldn't tell if she seriously offended him or not.

"But that's what I like about you," Ariadne corrected, "I love how on task you always are. Always wanting to perfect what's already perfected. You never settle for anything but the best. I mean look where we are." She gestured around the room with one arm. "And somehow you manage to have a little fun. If on the rare occasion."

Arthur let out a half smile and asked, "So, you like me?"

"What's not to like?" Ariadne said. She couldn't wait for a better moment than this.

Ariadne grabbed hold of Arthur's shirt and brought him close to her mouth, just brushing his lips. He completed the rest of the way, sending her into a dizzying array of emotions. She felt Arthur's hands shifting slowly up the back of her shirt and she let out a little moan of delight as she opened her mouth farther, making room for his tongue. Her hands reached around to the back of his head and she tangled them in his hair. Ariadne could feel the smile spreading over Arthur's lips as he moved his way down to her neck, kissing hungrily down her jaw. She closed her eyes feeling fully entranced by Arthur's presence. They were absorbed in each other; unaware of what they were capable of bringing out in the other. Arthur could feel Ariadne's fingernails digging into his back. She began to shift her hands to his front, yanking his tie off and beginning to undo the buttons of his shirt. With Ariadne already sitting on his lap, it made it easier for Arthur to lift her up bridal style and carry her to the bedroom. Ariadne discarded his shirt and tie along the way as he removed hers and added it to the trail of clothing leading from the couch to the bedroom. Ariadne shut the door giggling and sunk down onto the bed with Arthur.


	4. Chapter 4

"Arthur! Be a doll and open up the door, please. I didn't have the heart to snatch one of your room keys last night. Oh and make sure you two lovebirds are decent!" Eames accented voice called through the hotel room door.

Ariadne sleepily opened her eyes to find herself lying on Arthur's bare chest who was still snoozing peacefully. She slowly became more aware of the pounding on the door getting louder and of their lack of clothing. The tightening in her chest from the previous day had subsided and she felt a little woozy but she blamed that on the early morning.

"That's it. I'm picking the lock right now. Let's hope I don't interrupt something you'll regret me walking in on." Ariadne heard Eames fiddling with the door knob. Eames entered the room chuckling to himself as he saw the obvious trail of discarded clothes leading to the bedroom.

"Arthur!" Ariadne hissed under her breath.

"Mm?" Arthur groggily moaned as he nestled his head closer to Ariadne's.

"Arthur, wake up!"

Arthur waved a hand dismissively in front of her face and just pulled her closer to his body without opening his eyes. Ariadne loosened the grip of his arm on her waist and slithered out of the bed, dragging one of the thin sheets with her. She wrapped it around her body and tiptoed off to the bathroom as she heard Eames making his way towards the bedroom.

"Knock, knock my lovebirds." Eames said as he pushed open the door. "Well that's a lonely sight." He laughed out loud.

Upon hearing this it seemed to wake something inside of Arthur that Ariadne could not trigger because he shot upright in the bed immediately, half naked and half covered by the bed's red duvet. Arthur felt the empty bed beside him obviously completely forgetting the previous situation.

Eames raised his eyebrows at Arthur and walked out of the room practically shouting, "Maybe you're not such a stick in the mud after all! Get dressed and find Ariadne, there's a free breakfast buffet downstairs."

"Is he gone?" Ariadne whispered as she opened the bathroom door.

Arthur turned to roll his eyes at her.

"Thanks for leaving me in that situation."

Ariadne giggled and dragged her sheet behind her as she made her way back over to the bed. Arthur held out his arms and she curled herself up in them. Her petite frame seemed to fit perfectly along his.

"Let's skip breakfast." she suggested.

"Eames will give me enough grief as it is," laughed Arthur. "How are you feeling?" he added and stroked her hair.

"Good, still a little nauseous but at least I can keep food down. Eames' charm, chocolate cake, champagne, and a little bit of Arthur is the perfect remedy… Who knew?" Ariadne teased.

"Who knew." Arthur murmured and tilted Ariadne's face up to his so he could kiss her.

Ariadne and Arthur arrived at the breakfast buffet to the forger already sitting at a table grinning like a Cheshire cat. He stared at them over the rim of his coffee mug till they finally walked over to him.

"You're breaking one of my rules, Arthur."

"Oh, and what's that?" asked Ariadne as Arthur pulled out her chair for her like the gentleman he is.

"Always the gentleman," Eames observed and winked at Ariadne then turned his attention back to Arthur, "Sleeping with a coworker."

Ariadne felt her face go red but this time Arthur kept himself calm and composed.

"As if _you_ even stand by your own rules." Arthur snipped rolling up the cuffs of his shirt to reveal very lean, muscular forearms.

Eames guffawed, "I'm just happy you're getting some action, love." And with that Eames stood to go fill up his plate.

The rest of breakfast seemed to go without too much of a problem. Of course, the forger couldn't help but pester the poor point man with half-witted remarks and insults the whole time. Ariadne watched mostly out of pure amusement.

As Eames and Arthur got into a heated argument over something Ariadne found her mind wandering around the room. Her eyes settled on an unusual group of three men just over Eames' shoulder, sitting across the room appearing to be watching them. They were clad in business suits, not exactly like Arthur's typical three piece ones, but ones that still made them look out of place in an early morning breakfast buffet. If Arthur wasn't wearing his then it was certainly out of place for somebody else to be wearing one.

As Ariadne laid her eyes on the group the men seemed to divert theirs. Nervously, Ariadne reached over to shake Arthur's arm. She smiled as to not draw suspicion.

"Arthur, do you see that group of men sitting over there? Look just above Eames' right shoulder." Ariadne directed with a charming grin.

Arthur dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and shifted his eyes over to the group, picking up on Ariadne's suspicion. Eames grew stiff in his seat.

"I know I shouldn't turn around so Arthur fill me in. Who is it?" asked Eames.

Arthur's body went rigid underneath Ariadne's hand but he faked a smile anyway. Through false expression he said, "Looks like Cobal."

"How did they find you?"

"I have no clue. I used a brand new alias. Brand new everything."

Something obvious seemed to hit Ariadne right in the face.

"The hospital." she whispered quietly. Her fake smile disappeared.

"I'm sorry, what?" asked Eames.

"At the hospital… I gave them your information as my emergency contact. That's how they got ahold of you, remember? They must've tracked us, or f-followed us, I don't know. I'm sorry, Arthur."

"It's not your fault, Ari." Arthur gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek.

"So, what's the plan then?" Eames muttered.

"Ariadne, I'm going to stage a scene okay? Just go along with it and when you think the time's right, storm out of here and get up to the hotel room as quick as possible, okay? Eames and I will be up there as quick as we can."

Ariadne nodded and suddenly Arthur seemed to transform. His voice started out quiet at first but it grew as they began to fake an argument back and forth. Ariadne didn't have to act scared or frightened or anything because she actually _was_. This was an Arthur she'd never seen before. He was angry, hostile, and everything that the Arthur she discovered last night was not. Eames jumped in at parts acting as if he were trying to calm the situation down. Arthur finally slammed both his palms on the table making the plates and glasses jump. Ariadne took this as her cue and stormed out of the dining hall.

Ariadne couldn't even remember half of the words that had just been said but she didn't want to. She hoped she'd never have to see Arthur be that way with her ever again. Her heart beat fast as she walked briskly to the elevator. She stepped inside and started to breathe a sigh of relief as the doors started sliding shut but that sigh quickly dissipated as a large hand thrust its way in between the doors.

"Excuse me." the man said as he entered the elevator. Ariadne's breath seemed to catch in her throat as she recognized him as one of the men from the table.

The doors started to slide shut and Ariadne thought about jumping out but then she heard Eames' voice shout, "Hold the lift, please!"

Ariadne clumsily pressed the button to keep the door open and the man beside her grew tense. Ariadne felt herself flood with relief as Eames waltzed into the elevator casually.

"Ariadne love, Arthur wants to apologize for the scene he caused back there." Eames started to say as the elevator doors slid shut. He pressed the button for the fifth floor but the other man didn't make a move to press a different one.

"Yeah, sure I'll—" started Ariadne but was interrupted by the man speaking up.

"Mr. Eames? That's still what you go by isn't it?"

Eames pushed Ariadne defensively behind him and nodded towards the man.

"And which one of Cobal's pretty boys are you?"

The man responded by swiftly reaching out his fist, aimed at Eames' face but Eames saw it coming blocking it with his arm and jabbing him in the side of the neck with his other. The man recoiled and launched himself at Eames' waist throwing him against the elevator wall. Ariadne shrieked and pressed herself into a corner of the elevator as it rocked uneasily. The man's hands moved up to Eames' neck but Eames escaped by ending the short altercation with a final head-butt that rendered the man unconscious. The elevator dinged almost on cue, signaling the arrival on the fifth floor. Eames grabbed the assailant's gun from the inside of his jacket.

"C'mon." Eames said taking Ariadne by the hand.

"Where's Arthur?" Ariadne said holding onto Eames' hand as if it was her life jacket.

"Right behind you." Arthur said darkly as Ariadne jumped. She hadn't even noticed him creep up behind them. Ariadne let go of Eames' hand and embraced Arthur in a tight hug. She didn't even realize she was so scared that her whole body was shaking. She felt the fear escape from her body as Arthur held her small figure tightly in his arms, holding her head firmly in the crook of his shoulder.

"Let's go. Quick." Eames said shortly as he guided the two into their hotel suite, "I'll be back shortly."

"Grab your things and change into something that they won't easily recognize you in." Arthur said as he crossed the room to gather up his belongings. Ariadne nodded and obediently went into the bedroom to change. She picked out a loose red sweatshirt with a big hood and black pants. Arthur came in the room less than a minute later wearing his typical three piece suit and his hair slicked back already. Ariadne furrowed her brows at him.

"I thought you said we weren't supposed to be easily recognizable."

"I don't have anything else." he confessed.

Ariadne laughed and held out her arms to Arthur who gently picked her up and spun her around in a circle before setting her back down.

"What do they want?" murmured Ariadne as she grew serious.

She felt Arthur's body go rigid underneath her arms and Ariadne drew her head back from where she buried it in his chest to look at him. He exhaled a sharp breath and answered, "They're looking for new architects. The search for architects is actually spreading thin. And now that we've recently acquired you as part of our team, they're looking to recruit you. They don't just pull people out of school like we did with you. They think it gets sloppy. They look for people with experience first before bringing them in; now since we just found you, they're trying to bring you in."

Arthur saw the fear in Ariadne's eyes and reached his hands up to smooth her hair back away from her face.

"But of course, we're not going to let that happen." Arthur said and planted a firm kiss on her lips.

There was a click of a lock followed by the suite door creaking open. Arthur immediately switched into a defensive position, drawing his gun from the back of his waistband and aimed it at the man entering the room.

"Woah, woah, woah. Watch where you point that thing. We're on the same side, love." said Eames as he drew up his hands.

Arthur glared at him. He lay a reassuring hand on Ariadne's back and nudged her ahead of him. Eames led the way out of the hotel room.

"So where are w—Oof!" Eames ducked and covered his head with his arms as bullets pelted the hotel room door upon opening. "Back! Back! Back!" The forger clumsily stumbled over Ariadne as he forced his way back into the room. Arthur protectively grabbed Ariadne and ducked the other way with his back to the door. Eames slammed the door shut and the gunfire seized momentarily.

"Is everybody alright?" asked Eames.

Ariadne only nodded, she felt a little faint. Arthur helped her to her feet.

"So, what now?"

Arthur wandered over to the balcony and looked around. "Hey, out here!"

Eames and Ariadne walked over and looked to where Arthur was pointing.

"If we can get to that fire escape I think we'll be able to make it down to the ground."

"Arthur, we're on the fifth floor!" exclaimed Ariadne frantically.

Eames ignored the two for a moment as he bent down and began pulling tools out of his bag.

"Eames, what are you doing?" Arthur finally asked as he took notice.

"You must not know me at all, darling. I always come prepared." Eames had time to flash another one of his silly grins. He held up several grappling hooks.

"You've gotta be kidding." Ariadne said under her breath but Arthur clapped Eames on the back with a smirk.

The door lock of the suite began clicking and Eames quickly slung his bag over his shoulder.

"We've gotta go."

He fastened his grappling hook to the edge of the balcony and flew over the side, rappelling down.

"Arthur, I can't do this." Ariadne's hands and voice shook.

Arthur was too caught up in his own to realize that Ariadne hadn't moved from her spot since she was handed the grappling gear. He shut the balcony doors hopefully buying them more time and scrambled over to Ariadne's side.

"You're one of the strongest women I know, Ari. Of course you can do this. We're only going to the balcony below." he said and reached up to fasten her bag over her shoulder. They didn't have time to grab everything but the necessities.

The sound of the door busting down sounded through the closed door and Arthur pulled Ariadne to the edge of the balcony, away from the glass doors. He turned his back to Ariadne and commanded her to hop on his back.

"What? There's no way that's going to work!" Ariadne cried out panicked.

"Ariadne, we have to go if you want to live! I'm doing this to protect you!" he nearly shouted.

Ariadne felt silent tears running down her face but she climbed onto Arthur's back and held on as tightly as she could without choking him. She didn't know why she was becoming so frantic. Arthur carried her weight easily and soon they were flying over the edge and settling down to the balcony below. She slid down Arthur's back, finding her feet and solid ground below her a relief. Thankfully, the room was not occupied by any guests and they made their way quickly down the hallway to the elevator. Ariadne struggled to keep up. The feeling in her chest had come back and her breathing was in short breaths.

"Arthur, wait." Eames and Arthur slowed their pace. Eames led the rest of the way to the elevator as Arthur looped an arm underneath Ariadne's shoulders. Ariadne's vision started going in and out and Arthur patted her face lightly in the elevator to keep her conscious.

"We need to get her to Yusuf." Arthur said grimly looking up at Eames. The elevator dinged for the main floor and Ariadne let out a gasp.

"No, I can't go out there!"

Eames and Arthur were stunned by her sudden panic.

"Ari, come on. The car is just out there, love. You'll be fine." said Eames.

"_No!_ I c-can't. Arthur, what's going on?" stuttered Ariadne. She felt the panic bursting through her as if she was having a panic attack which was not normal for her. Arthur looked towards Eames for any sort of help.

"I-I think she's having a panic attack."

"It could be another side effect from the dreaming and the chemicals." replied Arthur.

"Well, we can't just sit here. We have to go." Eames reached down to pick Ariadne up by her wrists, "You're going to be fine, Ariadne."

Ariadne could feel the tears stinging her eyes. She was so scared to go out there and she didn't even know _why_. Of course she knew that they were out to get her and all trained marksmen. But Ariadne had never reacted this irrationally before. Arthur led the way to the car with Ariadne following closely behind fighting the urge to scream and Eames properly checked out at the front desk.

"Where the hell are we going now?" Eames asked as Arthur instructed him to drive. Something must've seriously been occupying Arthur's mind if he let _Eames_ drive. Eames earned his response when he looked in the rearview mirror and saw Arthur cradling Ariadne in his arms and kissing her forehead.

"The airport."


	5. Chapter 5

"Ariadne? Ariadne, can you hear me?" It was a familiar voice, but one she couldn't quite put the name to. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into the eyes of a very tan man with a beard and black curly hair, hovering over her. He had shined a light in both of her eyes but drew it away when she opened them.

"Where am I?" she asked. She suddenly felt very worried. She had no clue where she was or how she got here, not even who the man in front of her was. Ariadne sat up on her elbows and looked around as calm as she could. She was in a warm dimly lit room lying on a stiff cot. It smelled slightly of smoke and cooking food and there was a fan blowing cool air onto her face from her bedside table. She looked down at herself and realized she was wearing something that she knew was not hers. It was a thicker but still silky fabric that hugged her body and was a deep purple color. It fell halfway down her thighs and was strapless. Her eyes landed back on the man who had retreated to sit in a chair next to her bedside. He was watching her with a look of concern on his face.

"Ariadne… Do you know who I am?" he asked cautiously.

Suddenly the thought that Ariadne should _know_ this man startled her because she didn't have the slightest clue. Her mouth formed a tight line as she racked her brain to try and remember. She felt like she couldn't remember anything at the moment except that she had classes to go to. Ariadne finally shook her head and felt tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She didn't know what had happened to her.

The man breathed in a sharp breath and folded his hands together. At that moment, Arthur entered the room. He was ecstatic. Ariadne was finally awake after she had been unconscious for two days since the night of the escape from the hotel. Him and Eames had brought her to Mombasa to have Yusuf look her over and to figure out what was going on with her. Saito had arranged a private plane for them to fly over without drawing too much suspicion since Ariadne seemed to be in a coma-like state.

"Ariadne, you're awake!" Arthur crossed over to her quickly and hugged her tightly before Yusuf could say anything.

"Arthur wait—" Yusuf started but Arthur had already lay his lips on Ariadne's. Ariadne's eyes were wide with shock and she pushed Arthur away.

"Who are you?!" she sputtered standing up from the cot abruptly.

"Ariadne it's me. Arthur." Arthur said gravely. This couldn't be happening. How could Ariadne forget him?

Ariadne shook her head trying to wrap it around all of this.

"Yusuf, tell me she remembers who I am." demanded Arthur.

"If it makes you feel better she doesn't remember who I am either…" Yusuf responded meekly which earned him a glower from Arthur.

"What's going on? Will someone please just explain?" shouted Ariadne.

The two men were both at a loss of words.

"Sit down, Ariadne." Arthur motioned for her to sit back down next to him on the cot.

"What's the last thing you remember? So we know where to start." Yusuf explained.

"I-I'm not sure. I, um, I live alone. I go to school in Paris. I know I have a big final coming up. I'm going to be an architect. I'm in my final year." Ariadne said uneasily.

Arthur breathed in sharply. She didn't remember being recruited by Cobb, the Fischer job, that night she spent with Arthur, being attacked by Cobol's men. This was going to be difficult.

"I'm Yusuf. Ariadne, I'm your friend. We met about three months ago as part of a job. This is Arthur, he's your—"

"Friend." finished Arthur shortly with a sad look.

Yusuf continued on slowly explaining everything that has basically occurred in the past three months. Arthur filled in a lot that Yusuf didn't know. Ariadne sat there overwhelmed by all of this new information. Yusuf finally got to the point of explaining how she ended up in Mombasa and the reasons for her condition. Arthur explained what had happened in California, excluding their special night. Yusuf struggled to explain what caused her memory loss. He wasn't sure whether it was the treatment he was giving her or if it was just another side effect of her sickness from the compounds, depth of the dream, and being a first time dreamer.

Ariadne sat there in stunned silence through everything.

"We'll be out there." Arthur stood up and grabbed Yusuf roughly by the sleeve of his shirt.

He shoved Yusuf roughly against the wall out of the room and down the hallway of the little one story house they were staying in.

"What happened to her?" he growled.

"Ow, ouch! I'm just trying to help her, Arthur! It can't be the treatment! It must be another side effect from her sickness. It's just temporary memory loss. Surely, something will trigger it and the memories will all come flooding back."

"And if they don't?" Arthur threatened.

"Then I don't know!"

Eames came down the hallway after he overheard the argument.

"Arthur, relax. What's going on?"

"Ariadne can't remember." he huffed finally letting of Yusuf's shirt. Arthur's stoic façade was back. The shield that Ariadne had finally broke through was already built back up, ready to hide away any of his emotions.

Eames let what Arthur said sink in and he laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He understood why Arthur was so upset about this in a way that Yusuf didn't. Arthur shook off Eames' hand and walked out the door.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Yusuf asked quietly.

"He's Arthur. He has to be." Eames said, but his normally confident tone was gone.

After Arthur had stormed out Eames headed down the hallway to pop in and see Ariadne. He reached her room and looked around dumbfounded. It was empty. The health file he'd stolen from the hospital and Yusuf's charts that usually littered the room were missing along with Ariadne's bag.

"Arthur!" Eames was already shouting his name before he even got outside. The hot sun beat down on Eames making him sweat profusely as he ran down the street seeing Arthur's hunched figure walking away from the house. Eames could spot that point man anywhere even if he wasn't wearing his three piece suit. He seemed to have that essence about him, the kind that differentiated him from everybody else. The honking of the cars and loud talking of the busy people that filled the street drowned out Eames' shouts. He finally got close enough to grab ahold of one shoulder and Arthur jerked around swiftly.

"Ariadne left. She's gone." Eames managed to say as he leaned over out of breath.

Even through all the noise in the street Arthur heard him loud and clear. His eyes widened and he frantically turned back the way he came running down the street.

Ariadne walked nervously through the streets of Mombasa carrying her bag over one arm and the files in the other. She didn't really have a plan on where to go. It began to dawn on her that leaving the company of the only people that knew who she was in a foreign country when she had lost her memory was not the smartest thing to do. She remembered Yusuf mentioning _treatment_ when he was explaining which could be very valuable to her health. She vowed to go back but not until she had time to collect herself. Ariadne finally reached a bench and sat down with her things. She opened one of the files and began to read. The first thing she noticed was that she had listed Arthur as her emergency contact. _That's why he looked so hurt when I didn't remember him_. Ariadne felt a pang of guilt in her chest. There had to have been something between them. She smacked her forehead stupidly as she remembered the affection he had shown her.

Ariadne kept reading and was so absorbed in the files that she didn't even notice when the strange black van pulled up in front of her on the busy street. Two men jumped out and made their way over to her before she even had time to look up. One grabbed her by the shoulders and the other grabbed her by her kicking feet. A third hopped out to pick up her belongings. A large hand muffled her screams and struggling was useless; she still hadn't gotten her strength back. Ariadne felt a prick in her neck as a syringe injected some sort of anesthetic into her body. Her body went limp as she fell into unconsciousness.

"Where do you think she'd go?" Eames asked once back at their safe house.

"I don't know. I don't know." Arthur paced back and forth in the den as Eames and Yusuf sat on the battered sofa in front of him. He ran his hands nervously through his slicked back hair, ruffling it. "But nowhere is safe out there when Cobol's out looking for her. We're practically sitting ducks in Cobol's backyard!"

"There's no need to shout, Arthur. Just calm down. I know you're upset but we'll find her." said Eames soothingly. He kept his tone nice and even as to not fuel Arthur's anger further.

Arthur reached into his pocket hastily to feel his totem. Nope, not dreaming. He knew Eames was right but he couldn't find it in himself at that moment to calm down, not with Ariadne out there on her own in a foreign city with no memory of the past three months. She had no clue who she was being hunted by.

Arthur sat down in a flimsy lawn chair and put his head in his hands. There were a few moments of tense silence when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. It was Ariadne.

"Ariadne!" he exclaimed standing up. "I'm so glad you called."

"Hello, Arthur. I want you to know that your little architect is doing just fine. She's with us now. It was a bit of a surprise really to just find her all on her own out in the open." a cold voice floated through the other line and it made the color drain out of Arthur's face.

"Just let her go."

"Business is business."

"She doesn't know anything. She won't be of any help to you." he tried to keep his tone as even as he could. Eames and Yusuf anxiously watched from the sofa.

"We're not fools, Arthur."

And with that he hung up. Eames didn't even have to ask who it was.

"So what's the plan?" he asked instead, a clever smirk growing over his features.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for all the good reviews! They make me smile :) And so in return I decided to upload the next chapter today. I like to keep the chapters posted as soon as I can so watch for Chapter 7 soon (either later today, tonight, or tomorrow!). I like to write ahead sometimes so I know where I'm going with the story also so that's why I may post a couple chapters at one time.**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not even Inception on DVD :(_

"For the last time, I don't know anything." Ariadne stated staring up at one of her kidnappers. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man who had short cropped hair. Her hands and feet were shackled to a metal bed in a dim interrogation room.

"Listen, we're not going to hurt you as long as you cooperate. We know Mr. Saito hired you and your friends for a very high stakes job. And it's no coincidence when Robert Fischer, the son of Maurice Fischer, decides to suddenly break up his father's company," the man sat on the edge of the metal bed and continued, "Now we've done our research, Ariadne. You _were_ the architect for that job, correct?"

Ariadne shook her head. She didn't know what she had done in the past three months. All she knew was what Arthur and Yusuf told her.

"I don't know. I don't remember."

The man grimaced and stood up. He walked around the bed and got close to Ariadne's face.

"How do you expect me to work for you when you treat me like this?" she shook the shackles staring back.

"So you're going to cooperate?"

"Depends on what you're asking."

"We just need more people like you working for people like us." he reached a hand up to brush loose strands of hair away from her face. The motion was very familiar and reminded her of somebody.

"If I say no, there's nothing you can do. You're just _desperate_," Ariadne spat, "Are you just gonna keep me locked up in here until I agree?"

The man laughed a haunting laugh that chilled her to the bone. "No, no, no. Not just in here. We have a few good methods of persuasion."

Ariadne gulped but tried to keep a brave face on.

Arthur and Eames were crouched outside the ten foot wall surrounding Cobol's headquarters. They had prepped their duffels full of ammunition and guns and were both wearing tight fitting black shirts with tan cargo pants.

"You alright, mate?" Eames asked as he looked at Arthur's tense face. His hands were clenched into fists so hard that his knuckles were turning white.

"I'm fine. Let's just get this done with."

"Guess these'll come in handy again after all." Eames smiled. This time he held up grappling guns similar to the ones they use in movies and talk about in spy novels. They fired away at the tower above them and rappelled up quickly. They took out the two security guards on watch with ease and swapped out their shirts and cargos for the guards' uniforms.

Arthur led the way down the bridge that led to the main part of the building. They used the security cards to access the security room and took the guards out who were monitoring the security cameras. Arthur scanned the monitors looking for where they could be holding Ariadne while Eames looked over a map and layout of the building.

Arthur was frozen to the spot as he watched Ariadne thrash around in a tub full of ice water, stripped to her mere undergarments. Two men held her under and repeatedly brought her up so she could try and comprehend what the third man was asking her. Arthur didn't need audio to hear the horrible screams that were uttered out of her mouth as she gasped for air. The third man came around to her head and yanked her by her hair out of the water. Arthur was furious and disgusted. He tossed the break table over in fury. Eames came over then to see what he was watching.

"That's here…" Eames tried to remain undisturbed by the horrific scene he was witnessing as he pointed out where she was being held. "Holding Cell 2."

The forger folded up the map and directed the way out of the room with an enraged point man following in his wake.

Ariadne had no fight left in her. They repeatedly tried to drown her but always saved her before she could finally suffocate in the water filling her chest. She wished they would just let her drown. She couldn't feel anything anymore. Not until her body was jerked out of the tub and thrown to the floor. She smacked her head hard and felt a hot wetness on the side of her face. She was too disorientated to watch her assaulters leave her alone at last, muttering to themselves. She coughed and spit water out for the next ten minutes trying to clear the heavy feeling in her chest.

Ariadne attempted to keep her body from shivering uncontrollably but failed. She huddled on the cold floor in a ball with her back to the door and as far away from the tub as she could. Suddenly there were the sounds of loud thuds against the thick wall outside of the room. There were grunts and obvious signs of struggle. The sound of a large body being thrown into the metal door caused Ariadne to finally turn around the best she could while still in her position on the floor.

The door shot open and the man who was her main assaulter was thrown into the room by two large arms. Two men dressed as security guards both sweating and with bloody cuts and bruises on their bodies entered the room. The man staggered backwards away from the pair and as she struggled to figure out who they were she realized that one of them was Arthur. The other she thought she should know but could not remember. The larger man that she did not recognize picked the assailant up by his shirt and slammed him down into the tub splashing water onto the floor and onto the front of his shirt. He repeatedly dunked him, bringing him in and out of the water several times, the exact way that they had done to her.

"This… is… how… you… do _not_… treat women!" Eames shouted angrily. Arthur let Eames handle him as he crossed the room to Ariadne trembling on the floor. Arthur's voice caught in his throat as his eyes landed on her pale, weak figure sprawled out on the ground. He was mentally cursing himself for letting this happen to her.

"Ariadne I'm so sorry," he apologized over and over as he bent down next to her. He reached into his bag and pulled out the black shirt he had worn earlier. He slipped it carefully over the top of her head.

"N-not your fault. I-I-I'm just stubborn," she said through chattered teeth.

"Let's get out of here." Arthur replied and lifted her up off the floor. She clung to his warm body. Her eyes kept drifting in and out but she put all her energy remaining to focus in on his face. She looked at Arthur in a new way, as if she was seeing him for the first time since she practically was._ The way his hair framed his face, the burrowing of his eyebrows, the dimples in his cheeks._ Ariadne was practically in awe and she wondered if she was like this the first time they met. Hopefully she would remember.

"Eames, enough. We have to get out of here."

Eames gave the bastard one last dunk and left him in the tub to get out on his own. He chased after the two after they had went ahead down the corridor. Ariadne was appalled at the number of bodies that decorated the hallway floor. There were at least ten guys and Arthur and Eames took them out all on their own. She was impressed. _Her knight in shining armor_. Or rather, a security guard uniform.

Eames talked on some sort of comms unit to Yusuf waiting down the road in their getaway car telling him that they were coming soon. They reached the entrance they had come in by and Eames rappelled down the ledge first.

Arthur stood Ariadne on her feet and fastened the ropes and gear safely around her waist without saying anything to her. He couldn't look at her as she continued to not remember who he was. It hurt too much, especially when the thought that she could never remember came to mind.

"Ariadne… I'm going to throw you out of a window now."

Ariadne's eyes widened as this caught her attention and suddenly she was freefalling. She didn't even have time to scream before she landed in Eames' safe arms.

"That was fun, wasn't it love?"

She nodded tentatively and he set her on her feet. Arthur came down soon after.

"Alright?" he asked.

"Alright." they responded in unison.

The trio scrambled into the backseat of the car all varying amounts of wet and dry. Ariadne was beginning to warm up as Arthur wrapped an arm around her body and held her tight. She felt his heat radiating through her clothes.

"You know it works a lot better if you're naked." Eames smirked as Yusuf drove wildly through the streets.

Arthur turned to scowl at him. Ariadne felt her face grow hot, which actually was a welcoming feeling.

"Where are we going exactly?" Yusuf inquired.

"To the airport. We can't stay here in Mombasa. It's not even safe for another night. They'll be gunning for all of us." answered Arthur.

"Saito has a plane waiting ready to fly us to Paris." chipped in Eames.

_Saito_. Ariadne said the name over and over again in her head to see if she could put a face to the name. It wasn't working.

It was late at night when they finally reached the airport. The private jet was positioned farther away from the other planes and Yusuf pulled the car to a stop in front of it. The three of them got out but Yusuf remained in the car.

"Yusuf, what are you waiting for?" Eames questioned.

"It's better if I stay here. Clean up our tracks. I've got business here anyways, I can't just desert that. They're not exactly looking for any chemists. Arthur, you know all the details of her treatment and you know how to reach me." Yusuf said with a sad tone in his voice. "It was nice seeing you guys. Even though I didn't expect it to be so soon."

"Even if they are not looking for chemists they are still looking for members of our team!" Arthur said.

"Please, I'll be fine. It won't be the first time I've gone under the radar. Do you think my real name is Yusuf?"

Arthur and Eames stood staring at the chemist wide-eyed. Yusuf chuckled and said, "I'll see you later guys."

They nodded knowingly and grabbed their things.

Once inside the plane Ariadne plopped down in the nearest seat and drew her knees up to her chest. Arthur came over and sat in the plushy seat next to her, holding out a small carry-on bag.

"There should be some clothes in here for you."

"Thank you, Arthur." Ariadne responded genuinely and hugged him fiercely. "I'm so sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Arthur asked as he encircled her in his arms and ran his fingers through her hair.

"For not remembering."

Arthur didn't know what to say so instead he just squeezed her tighter. The plane's engines powered up and Ariadne pulled away from the hug to go get changed into some more appropriate clothing.

"How are we gonna help her remember?" Arthur turned to Eames who was situating himself comfortably across two seats.

"Yusuf said it's only temporary. It'll come back to her eventually."

"What if we brought her into a dream?"

"Arthur! Are you mad?" shouted Eames.

"Think about it. What if we get her to talk to her subconscious? Do you think it's possible for her to remember that way?"

Eames pinched his lips together into a tight line and thought about it. "It's a possibility. But not until she's better. We don't want to cause any permanent damage."

Ariadne stepped out of the cabin bathroom then and both men stared at her shutting their mouths quickly.

"The bathroom door isn't exactly soundproof, you know," Ariadne smiled and snuggled up casually next to Arthur. "It's not a bad idea. I mean, if it works."

Eames shrugged his shoulders and lounged back in his seat.


	7. Chapter 7

**I wanted to finish this chapter and post it last night but I got majorly stumped on where I was going with the scene so I waited till this morning to see if I had any new ideas... And this is what I came up with :) Hope you like it and leave lots of reviews! I'll try and have Chapter 8 up by tomorrow night. Thanks for reading!**

Arthur fell asleep with his head resting on top of Ariadne's and his arm wrapped around her back. Eames was also snoozing peacefully, stretched out across the two seats. She stared out the window aimlessly unable to sleep. Every time she found herself dozing off she would see those horrid ice blue eyes of her attacker. She shifted uncomfortably hoping not to wake Arthur. She picked up the hand draped around her waist and began to unconsciously draw circles with her thumbs around his knuckles. Arthur let out a content sigh and Ariadne looked up to realize he was actually awake.

"Do you think it'll work?" Ariadne couldn't stop thinking about the possible solution that the point man had proposed earlier.

She felt Arthur's chest heave and then he answered, "I don't wanna get my hopes up. But there's a good chance. We'll wait till you're ready."

An hour later after Arthur had fallen back asleep Ariadne let out a dramatic sigh. It was just part of her nature; she didn't mean to wake him up.

"Can't sleep?" he asked.

She shook her head and turned her gaze away from the dark sky outside to look up at him. Their connection from the hotel room that night was back. Arthur felt it stir inside of him and he wondered if Ariadne could sense it too. He thought back on the night when they confessed their numerous secrets to each other over that bottle of champagne. He knew so much more about her and she didn't even know a single thing about him.

"Ariadne, what do you think of me?" Arthur wondered sincerely.

"I barely remember you, Arthur."

Her words made Arthur flinch a little and Ariadne's face softened. "No, Arthur. I'm sorry. But what do you mean?"

"What do you think of me?" he repeated.

"I think that you care about me, a lot. And others. More than you let people believe. You're a perfectionist but when it comes to those you care about, you act on impulse. The infiltration on Cobol? There wasn't much thought to it, was there?"

The walls that Arthur put up all around him were completely see through to Ariadne. She could read people and she was damn good at reading him.

Saito's plane touched down in Paris at last on a sunny afternoon. All three of them stood up and stretched, sore from all the events of yesterday. Battered and bruised they walked off the jet.

"So where to now? Rest first and then meet back up in the morning?" Eames asked yawning. He cracked his back and threw his duffel over his shoulder.

"Yeah, sure," murmured Ariadne. They reached the curb and were able to hail two separate cabs.

"Bye, love. Rest up." Eames said giving her a quick hug.

Ariadne hugged him back naturally and got into the other cab with Arthur. Ariadne gave the cabbie her address and relaxed in the back seat.

"Is this the first time you're seeing my apartment?"

"Yes, I suppose it is."

"I can't even remember how I left it."

"Well I guess we'll just have to see."

They didn't say anything for the rest of the drive. The drive only took about twenty minutes before they pulled up in front of a picturesque apartment with the potted plants on the steps and a dark green door with a gold knocker.

Ariadne's muscle memory caused her to search underneath the door mat for the spare key. There was a large pile of mail that had gathered on the floor from where the mail man slipped it through her slot. She picked it up and thumbed through it warily, setting it back down on the entry table without reading anything further.

Arthur looked around absorbing everything about the apartment. He couldn't help but think that it was just so… _Ariadne_. There were papers and text books cluttering the kitchen table, scale models covering the coffee table in the living room, and memorabilia from her many trips sitting happily on the windowsill and mantle. There was a large wicker chair topped with a fluffy blue blanket next to the fireplace and a stack of books by its leg. Arthur paused and observed it for a while. A picture of Ariadne huddling there on rainy nights as she read some significant piece of literature with a cup of tea came to Arthur's mind and he smiled at the thought.

"We'll go down to the warehouse tomorrow. You have a desk there; looking at your work from the job might help you remember what you did."

Ariadne nodded in reply and paced around the apartment.

"Do you want something to eat? I could make something," Ariadne offered.

Arthur smiled, not at all surprised that Ariadne was a cook.

"I'll take that as a yes. You can just set your stuff in the bedroom."

Ariadne walked off to the kitchen and began checking her fridge and cupboards to see if she had any good ingredients to cook. Her fridge was half empty and Ariadne sheepishly shut it as she heard Arthur walk back into the room.

"Let's go shopping."

"Are you sure you don't want to just go out to eat? It's been a long day."

Ariadne shook her head, "No it's fine. If that's okay with you."

"I don't mind." Arthur stuck his arm out to Ariadne and they practically danced out the door.

Arthur let Ariadne do all the deciding on what to buy. He was more of a take-out guy who always happened to ruin any meals he tried to cook. They returned back at her apartment carrying two large brown paper bags full of ingredients.

They set the bags down on the kitchen table and Arthur started to lay out the ingredients as Ariadne pulled her hair back into a simple braid. She reached into her pantry and pulled out a silly pink and white checkered apron. Tiptoeing back over to Arthur, she slipped it over his head.

Arthur looked down at himself disapprovingly but laughed anyways, "What's this? Shouldn't the head chef be the one to wear it?"

"If I'm the head chef that makes _you_ the assistant. I make the rules." Ariadne smirked.

Ariadne decided to follow the long time memorized chicken parmesan recipe that her mom taught her when she was just a young teen. Arthur tried to follow Ariadne's simple instructions the best he could but somehow he managed to slice his finger while using the grater to grate the onions. Ariadne couldn't stop giggling as she wrapped a dish cloth around his finger tightly. She leaned with her back against the counter holding Arthur's finger tightly in her hands. They stood close together; the fronts of their bodies aligning perfectly as if they were meant to be together. Ariadne's laughter descended quietly as she gazed into Arthur's eyes, a tiny smile making its way across his face. He began to lean forward and Ariadne could feel her heartbeat quicken. He brushed his lips across hers and was just about to finish the rest of the way when the oven timer beeped signaling that it was done preheating. The two jumped apart with nervous smiles on their faces. The moment was gone.

Arthur continued to do his little tasks that Ariadne gave him with an unnecessarily large bandage wrapped around his finger. Ariadne sidled over to the radio and flipped it on to some typical French opera music. She turned around to see Arthur grabbing a spoon, ready to use it as a microphone. He impressed her by mouthing the words along and using grand hand gestures. He pulled her close with one arm and unwound it quickly, spinning her gracefully in a circle. Ariadne undid her braid as she did so and her hair flew all around her face, spiraling outwards. Her cheeks were turning a rosy pink and Arthur looked at her in awe.

About an hour later the table was prepped, the meal was cooked, and Arthur and Ariadne had both changed into respective dinner clothes. As Ariadne finished up in the bedroom, Arthur rooted around in the paper bags for the one thing that he did choose at the store, a bottle of red wine. He searched the cupboards for some wine glasses and was finishing pouring the drinks when Ariadne walked out of the bedroom. She was dressed in a popping red dress that settled right above her knees with a v-neckline. Arthur couldn't help his eyes widening. She was beautiful.

He crossed the room to her in three simple strides and pulled her close. Ariadne smiled sheepishly.

"You look amazing."

"You don't look so bad yourself." Ariadne reached up a hand and brushed it through the hair on the back of his head. Arthur frowned momentarily.

"What's wrong?"

He cleared his throat, "Nothing. I just—I've never been a fan of when people did that."

Ariadne snickered and smoothed the flyaways back down.

They sat down at the table and Ariadne observed Arthur as he took his first bite. She loved watching people try her cooking for the first time.

"Oh, that is delicious," he moaned, "Where did you learn this?"

Ariadne's smile faded away and she tucked a hair behind her ear nervously, "Um, my mother taught it to me."

"She must be a great cook."

"She was."

Arthur paused at Ariadne's use of past tense but didn't push it further.

"Arthur, tell me about us." Ariadne suggested.

Arthur patted his mouth with his napkin and looked at her sternly.

"What do you want to know?"

"Um, just. I don't know. How long have we been… ya know…"

"Just that one night at the hotel, before we were ambushed by Cobol the next day." he said reminiscent.

Ariadne nodded knowingly and went back to her chicken parmesan.

The rest of the night was practically a replica of their night in the hotel. Arthur didn't mind one bit. He was glad he was getting to relive it with her; he could listen to her talk all night.

At some point during their conversation Ariadne drifted off. Arthur watched her again and this time she looked at peace. Her sickness had subsided but Yusuf still had firm instructions to continue the treatment for the next couple days. Arthur lifted her up from the couch and she subconsciously snuggled closer to his chest. He lay her down on her bed and pulled the comforter over her.

"Good night, Ariadne," he said glancing at her one last time before he shut off the light.

Ariadne woke up screaming in the middle of the night frantically. She had broken out into a sweat and she struggled for her breath. Her scream dried out and suddenly she was coughing. She felt as if she was being suffocated.

There was the sound of light footsteps running towards her door and suddenly Arthur was standing in her doorway. He looked like any other normal person going to sleep dressed in an old gray t-shirt and red checkered pajama pants. His hair was slightly ruffled and if Ariadne wasn't so freaked out at the moment she probably would've found it sexy.

"Ariadne, are you okay?" Arthur asked. Deep concern was shown in the wrinkles on his forehead.

Ariadne shook her head and pulled the covers up close to her chest. Involuntarily, she started crying and before she knew it she was sobbing. Arthur huddled next to her on the bed and lay down with her in his arms. She gripped his shirt tight, soaking it with her tears.

"Nightmares?"

He felt Ariadne nod and suddenly she drew herself away.

"Oh, god. I need to change. This dress is not helping."

Ariadne was too shaken to care that Arthur watched her undress. Her pale skin glistened against the moonlight streaming in from the window. Her brown hair cascaded down her back. She turned her back to him and changed into an old high school tennis shirt that was much too big for her. She climbed back into bed, clinging to her safety. He was her security.

Arthur rubbed small circles on her back and hummed some cute show tune that made Ariadne smile through the tears briefly. Ariadne focused on the rhythmic rise and fall of Arthur's chest and it acted almost as a metronome, hypnotizing her into falling asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**I got over my temporary writer's block yesterday and just spent the last two hours coming up with this. Hope you like it :) Read and review please! The reviews make my day :) **

The sun woke the pair up the next morning. Both stirring and blinking their eyes open at the same time. Ariadne's body was no longer tense; she relaxed on top of Arthur's chest breathing in sync with him.

"Good morning," Arthur said contentedly.

"Morning." Ariadne responded timidly. Her fingers trickled up and down his chest.

There was a buzzing followed by a loud ringtone coming from the other room.

"Your phone?"

Arthur nodded exasperatedly and retreated from the bedroom. Picking up the phone he realized it was Eames.

"What?" Arthur snapped.

"Good morning to you too, darling. Hope you're behaving over there." Eames teased.

Arthur scoffed in response.

"How is she doing?" asked Eames, his tone changing to concern.

"She had nightmares last night."

"And I'm sure you were just the perfect shoulder to cry on." the Brit's cheery tone returned.

"I'm sorry, Eames. Did you actually want something?" Arthur snipped.

"In fact I did. Meet at noon at the warehouse? Don't forget her treatment."

"Okay, see you then."

Arthur hung up the phone and turned around to see Ariadne curiously watching him from the doorway to her bedroom. She leaned against it with one leg casually behind the other. She looked like she should be in a magazine, Arthur thought as he eyed her. That was when Arthur decided that he really would not mind one bit waking up to that sight every morning.

"Breakfast?" she asked.

"Sounds great."

Ariadne had created the typical morning breakfast complete with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes. Arthur walked into the kitchen after he finished freshening up, dressed in another immaculate suit. Ariadne couldn't help but smell his sultry cologne wafting through the air and tickling her nose.

She poured the orange juice as he sat down, smoothing out his vest. Ariadne still hadn't dressed yet and Arthur took this as his opportunity to watch the subtle movements that she did with her body. The way she always tucked her hair behind her ear or how she scratched the back of her leg nonchalantly with her opposite foot.

After they finished eating a relatively quiet breakfast Arthur went to get the little black bag full of little bottles for Ariadne's treatment. He placed a syringe into one of the bottles and drew out the liquid.

"I feel fine," Ariadne admitted.

"Yusuf doesn't want to take any chances." he placed the syringe lightly into her arm and injected the medicine. She winced slightly. "And if we're going into the dream again, it'll just be better for you to be taking this."

Ariadne rolled down her sleeve and went to go get changed.

"Hey, love. How are you feeling?" Eames said as he greeted the pair arriving at the warehouse. The deck chairs were already set up and the PASIV was ready and waiting.

"Wow, Eames. You're on time and ready to go for once. I guess we're in for a bunch of surprises today." Arthur insulted.

Eames laughed bitterly and replied, "Always the joker aren't you, Arthur?"

Ariadne had wandered off to inspect the contents of the warehouse. She was immediately hit by a sense of familiarity as she entered. There were several desks. Some of them were cleaned off but others were still piled with work. She came across one that she identified as her own. She looked to Arthur and Eames for confirmation and they only nodded. They watched her from the side, letting her discover what she needed to on her own.

She picked up a file slowly and began to read. She dropped it immediately as something seemed to slam its way through a barrier in her brain. It was the Fischer job. She was remembering it. Not just what Yusuf and Arthur told her but what _she_ did and what _she_ knew.

"Ariadne… What do you remember?" Arthur said carefully, trying to hide the hint of hope in his voice.

"O-our job. Robert Fischer. Saito!" she now had a face to go with the name that she was trying so hard to remember before. "And… a blond haired man. Oh, uh… What's his name? He came to my school. Codge? Cott? No… Cobb!" Ariadne was flustered as all this information was surging up inside of her. She sat down dizzily in her chair.

"That's good, that's fantastic!" Arthur felt a grin growing on his face. He wanted so badly to ask her what she remembered about him.

Ariadne turned to Arthur like she _had_ remembered something.

"You… You kissed me in the dream, right?"

Eames turned to Arthur shocked and with a taunting smile. This was new information to him.

"Arthur, you sly dog!"

Arthur's cheeks flushed red and he went over to crouch in front of Ariadne sitting down.

"Yes, yes I did. What else do you remember?" his voice was soft and his eyes were sincere, glistening with hope. Ariadne bit her lip trying to focus on his face, to see if she could summon anything else.

Ariadne rattled off some more information about the job up until the arrival in Los Angeles. Arthur tried to hide the disappointment in his eyes but Ariadne could see it. She was the one who could see through his walls.

"That's when you were hospitalized. It'll take some more effort to help you remember after that."

They walked back over to the circle of three deck chairs and the PASIV sitting on a table in the middle.

"Are you ready darling?"

Ariadne let out a deep breath and nodded slowly. She injected the IV into her arm and fell into the dream.

Ariadne found herself standing alone on a dark street that looked as if it had just rained. She looked around for Arthur and Eames but they were nowhere in her sight.

"Arthur? Arthur, where are you?" she called out. Ariadne continued walking but she felt as if she was walking in a circle. The second time she went around she met up with Arthur and Eames.

"Why is it so empty?" she asked.

Arthur shook his head and Eames shrugged.

"I think we're walking in circles." Eames stated carefully as he stopped and looked back the way they came. Once they were positive that they were walking in circles the road beneath them started to shake violently. The windows on the dark buildings towering above them erupted, exploding shattered glass into the air. The trio looked back the way they came and the road was exploding, sending large gravelly bits flying into the air mixing with the glass.

"Ariadne, it's alright! Just remain calm!" Arthur shouted over the commotion.

Ariadne couldn't control it. It was her subconscious. Next thing she knew she was waking up in the warehouse. Arthur and Eames were sitting up in their deck chairs. They were silent.

Ariadne removed her IV hastily and went to sit back at her desk; her heart was beating fast. Arthur and Eames talked quietly while she was out of earshot.

"Arthur, it was a long shot you know that. Look, she's been remembering more ever since she got here; it's only a matter of time before she remembers the rest."

Arthur looked grudgingly at Eames' convincing expression and sighed. He averted his gaze over to Ariadne reading silently through the work on her desk.

"Eames, how long—honestly—do you think it will take for her to remember?"

"I've got no idea, mate. It could be days. Could be hours. We won't know for sure." Eames followed Arthur's eyes over to Ariadne. "Go talk to her. She needs you."

Eames pushed Arthur roughly in Ariadne's direction and he hesitantly walked over to her desk. She raised her eyes to acknowledge him and tried to focus on reading but she couldn't take in anything at the moment. Not with Arthur sitting on the corner of her desk.

"What exactly happened in there?" she said referring to the dream. "I mean, why was it all dark and empty?"

"That's the current state of your subconscious right now. Think of it sort of in the metaphorical sense. You can't remember certain things right? So your brain has created almost like a _barrier_ built around that part so in the dream it appears as blank or empty. It's very unstable."

"But it's my _subconscious_."

"Think back to the Fischer job. Remember when Cobb was teaching you about dreams for the first time he said that an extractor could train your subconscious to defend itself against invaders? That's why we were ambushed in Fischer's mind. It's almost as if you were trained and extremely skillful at protecting your subconscious."

Ariadne exhaled slowly and pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes.

"It's just so hard, you know? Not being able to remember. It's beyond frustrating."

"I know."

Ariadne opened her eyes and rested her head on the side of her palm staring up at Arthur propped up against her desk with his lean figure. Eames waltzed into their section of the warehouse then. "I'll be taking off." he said and gestured to Arthur. "Call me if you need anything."

Arthur stayed at the warehouse with Ariadne until dusk as she poured over the contents of her desk, and not only hers but all the other team members too. By the end of the evening Ariadne was exhausted and annoyed that she could not trigger any memories at all whatsoever.

Finally she stood up and threw down a file deciding that nothing else was going to come to her mind.

"Dinner?"

"Yes." Ariadne agreed gratefully.

They walked the streets arm in arm looking for a restaurant as the sun set over the city, basking it in a beautiful orange and yellow glow. They reached a little outdoor café and sat down at a table outside.

The waiter came over to take their orders; Ariadne ordered the smoked salmon and Arthur ordered the Caesar salad. The waiter brought over a complimentary bottle of wine and complimented the "happy couple" in French. Ariadne replied also in French and Arthur took this as his chance to fold his hand into Ariadne's. Ariadne looked at him a little surprised.

"Ariadne, I know you don't remember everything that's happened between us but I hope someday you will. You can already see me as I truly am and I don't think I've ever met anybody anywhere close to how remarkable you are. You may not feel the same way now but Ariadne, I love you." he said truthfully, laying out all of his emotions right in front of her. He took in a sharp breath afterwards looking down at the table nervously. He couldn't believe he just did that. Straight-forward-emotionless-all-work-no-play-Arth ur just confessed his never ending love to a woman he's known for only three months.

Ariadne didn't know how to respond. She sat there with a flurry of emotions exploding through her body. She wanted to grasp Arthur by the shirt and just kiss him passionately but another part was rooting her to her seat and she didn't know why. Perhaps from the shock that he actually felt the same way about her.

Arthur sat in front of her dumbfounded. This wasn't exactly what he wanted her response to be right away. He actually didn't really know what to expect when he finished. A significant amount of time passed by, enough to make the situation a bit awkward. Arthur went to entangle his hand from Ariadne's but she held it tight. A smile danced on the corners of her lips and Arthur leaned forward. She reached her other hand around his head and cupped him by the back of his neck, bringing his lips to hers. The sweet smell of her perfume made him dizzy and the setting sun seemed to cause the both of them to glow radiantly. Ariadne's eyes were shut but she saw it all before her: the hospital, Arthur showing up, their getaway, the hotel, the chocolate cake, the champagne, _their night_. The memories all came back to her as quickly as they had in the warehouse. Ariadne parted their lips so she could speak.

"I remember, Arthur." she said breathlessly with her forehead resting on his. "And I love you too."

**I think I've decided that I will just end it here unless I figure out where I could possibly bring the story next (I don't think that'll happen though so don't get your hopes up). So thanks for reading and thanks to those who have followed/favorited the story, and of course a big thank you to those who have left reviews! I'll be starting a new fic right away so watch out for that :)**


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